The Institute for Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (IAFA) launched the “Siempre es un buen momento” campaign (It’s Always a Good Time), which is aimed at parents of seventh grade students, one of the most vulnerable stages.
According to the institution’s studies, if parents have a warm parenting style and know what their children are doing, they are five times less likely to use drugs.
Tatiana Palacios, an IAFA social worker, said that it is always a good time to support and share with the children,
hence the campaign is an invitation and a reminder for parents to approach their children, to get to know them again.”
The campaign follows a qualitative research that was developed with adolescents from 13 to 18 years old in 2016. One of the main results showed that young people do not have a close relationship with their parents. In a way, this promotes consumption of substances.
In this first stage we concentrate on the fathers and mothers of the students of seventh and eighth grades, because the boys feel they were protected in schools, but abruptly abandoned in high school. In addition, drug consumption for lack of self-esteem, information or social pressure usually begins in this cycle,”
added Palacios.